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Using Disturbance to Strengthen Your Meditation

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The Thief in the House

Recently, I received a disturbing message from a man I know — someone whose personality is chronically enraged, and who makes threats.

When, not long after reading his messages, I sat to meditate, I found my mind circling: Might he come and try to hurt me? What do I need to protect myself?

I watched those thoughts for a few minutes, and felt their effect on my body: my body was tense, my hands were cold, my breathing rate was increased.

So I decided this was a great opportunity for practice.

I brought my attention to my mantra, and almost immediately, it returned to those worries. Again, I returned my attention to the mantra, and this time, I also felt the smooth flow of my breath at my nostrils. Again, in a few moments, I was back in the worries, but this time, not as quickly.

This repeated a few more times.

Then I became aware of the feeling in my heart generated by the mantra. That felt good and more strongly attracted my attention. I found it easier to keep my mind stable there.

Over some time, I was able to keep my awareness on my mantra, breath and that warm feeling in my heart, and the worries slipped into the background of my awareness.

By the end of the meditation, the worries had lost their power and I felt calm.

In this way, we can use situations that upset us to strengthen our practice. It’s not necessarily pleasant. It takes some gentle effort. But here’s an important thought: these unpleasant situations are going to happen. Everyone faces difficult situations. We can simply suffer them, or we can use them for practice. If we use them for practice, at least we’re getting some benefit out of them. We’re turning lemons into lemonade.

The Mind Is Like a Dog

Just as dogs seem to be attracted to every smelly thing, difficulties attract the mind. Have you noticed how your mind goes in circles, keeps coming back to that unpleasant circumstance — replaying the situation where somebody said something upsetting, over and over?

I’m not saying you should never think about those things. But obsessing on it, living your whole day feeling terrible because the mind keeps coming back — is not helpful.

If you’d like to make something beneficial out of that circumstance, here is a plan:

Number one: Choose to use it as practice. Keep bringing your mind back to your point of focus — your meditation, your mantra, your breath, or your body. Don’t let your attention keep going off to the thing that is attracting it.

Number two: Sometime when you are not emotional, spend a little focused time thinking constructively — not worrying — about what to do. What actions can I take that will resolve this problem? Make a plan and stick to it as best you can. That’s all you can do.

Every time your mind goes back to the disturbance, drag it back. If you feel emotions as a result, feel them for a while. Really feel them. But you don’t have to feel them all day. Feel them for a few minutes, then let go and turn your attention somewhere else.

Yoga practice gives us the skill we need to direct our attention in this way. Use it. There will always be something to upset us. So, we can get a lot of practice.

What to Do When the Emotion Hits First

Sometimes we can’t get ahead of it. When that message arrived this morning, I couldn’t keep myself from being upset — it happened instantly. It was like somebody blew up a bomb inside of me. That’s the way it’s always been when I hear from him.

So then what do you do?

First: Don’t push it down. Don’t try to push the feelings away. Feel them. Breathe and really feel what you’re feeling inside. Surrender to the feelings.

Second: Use the feelings as objects of meditation. Just observe them. Watch how the thoughts keep circling — and notice how that repetitive thinking makes the emotions worse. Worrying is not going to help. You’ve probably worried about that difficult situation a million times over the years. There’s no point in more. Instead, keep bringing your attention back to your focus. In this way you grow strength of will.

Swami Veda said — and I believe it’s true — that when we meditate regularly, we become more able to observe our inner world clearly. When something happens outside of us, we can notice that there are certain moments when we may choose not to take the next emotional step. Not to take the bait. To feel the fear or the hurt, without reacting from it.

I have found it is possible to do that sometimes. Sometimes it all happens too fast and I’m not able to. Each step is something we can learn and grow from.

Swami Rama said to use every circumstance to help yourself on your path. Use it all as grist for the mill. When you find yourself saying, “This is so hard, this is so miserable” — try to wake up and say instead: “Maybe I can use this to help me grow as a meditator. How can I come back to center?”

Swami Hari, who was always joking, once pointed out that you can turn dog into God — it’s the same word, just reversed. The idea is to turn the dog mind into the God mind. The mind that runs compulsively after every disturbance — that same mind, steadied through practice, can become something else entirely.

Embraced by the Grace of my Guru

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Om

About a year ago, I felt an inner calling to India, my second home. The Guru works in mysterious ways, and little did I know what was to come. With no advance preparations, I followed this call.

From the days of the Gurukulam to returning 17 years later, I find myself once again walking those familiar halls, embracing the rhythms of each day and surrendering to what unfolds.

This time, I arrive with a different awareness. My time at Gurukulam quietly prepared me for this moment, though I did not fully realize how ready I was to receive the Guru’s teachings more deeply. The steady cultivation of discipline through mind-body awareness, integrated into each day’s schedule, has kept me grounded and centered. The wisdom, ever flowing through devoted teachers, has not only strengthened my faith but gently reassured me that I am exactly where I am meant to be.

To be welcomed again by familiar faces—still warm, still caring—felt like returning to the heart of something sacred. My spiritual home holds an abundance of love, a presence that naturally draws me inward into reflection, stillness, and transformation.

The surroundings themselves speak in silence—from the classic red brick cottages to the beauty of nature. The vibrant flowers were so captivating, as though they awakened something deep within my soul, mirroring an inner blossoming. The quiet rustling of leaves and the vastness of the sky create a silence that is not empty, but alive—a silence that calls me back to myself, guiding me gently within. The sanctuary of the meditation hall and temples carries a quiet reverence, inviting deeper immersion into contemplation. The daily chanting vibrates within my being, grounding me in presence and devotion.

Embraced by the Grace of my Guru and the tradition of a living lineage, I know I am guided along this path.

In that stillness, there is remembrance—a knowing that I am but a spark of the Divine. I am love. I am light. I am That. Tat Tvam Asi.

Namo Namah Sri Guru Padukabhyam

Editor’s Note:

Initiated at the age of 11 by Swami Veda Bharati, Sarita Singh returns to her spiritual home after many years, answering a call that had long lived within her. Having been guided early on the path, she comes back to fulfill a sacred wish once expressed by her Guruji—to complete the TTP—a journey now embraced with deeper awareness, devotion, and gratitude.

Your True Nature is Light

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Dear Beings of Light, our theme for the evening. And it will have two parts. First, a contemplation on illumination as the very birthright of your Being as the realization of becoming, and second, the experience of reuniting as dispelling the darkness of ignorance. On this pilgrimage from the self to the Self. And you will pass through the ignorance of causation and identification to again realize, awaken, and return to the pure light as the Consciousness—’That’ you are.

You had a most beautiful one this morning [referring to Rabindra’s session]. You might say a lullaby and song for your heart. The science of mantra is a living experience of enlightenment that awakens the consciousness darkened by ignorance.

So, a little background to this beautiful and experiential meditation. You’ll find it in Swami Veda’s book Kundalini: Stilled, or Stirred. Kundalini, the beautiful light of consciousness, and when ‘stilled’, an intensification in its subtlety. For this reason, “When I left the sun,” the narrative by Swami Veda, will be your meditation for the evening. It becomes a contemplation that naturally leads you inward, pulling and guiding you through the pilgrimage that eventually returns you to the source of light, the source of hiraynagarbha, the womb that births the sacred word, the living word, the word that is carried through transmission in our lineage. In the same manner that St. John has said in the Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, the Word was God.” A living lineage by way of understanding these subtle principles of mantra,‘man’, to think, and ‘tra’, to protect, to hold, to share and nourish. As you learned this morning about the nourishing aspect of the mantra, nourishment for the soul, nourishment for the heart, the nourishment for your personality to beautify your relationships.

Swami Veda’s pre-sanyasa name was ‘Usharbudh Arya’. ‘Usha’ is another name for the dawn. He is a holder of the dawn and was known as Pandit Usharbudh in his early years. During this time, he created one series of poems called ‘Hymns to the Mystic Light’. With this background, you can better understand the principle of mantra as word. Mantra is the vibration of consciousness that carries feeling that you recognize as your own being. A feeling that carries an identity of your self. Mantra has that illuminating quality that awakens of an internal light of being. Swami Veda would recall that when Swami Rama passed the diksha to him through that sacredness of the lineage, it felt like 10,000 suns radiating immense light. This is called the solar initiation. The lineage, through initiation, passes these principles of consciousness that awaken and draw us out of the darkness of misidentification and ignorance.

‘Light’ has been the greatest subject of adoration throughout human history, and addressed in the Rig Veda, the most ancient of the ancient scriptures of revelation. The lights shining in the skies must have attracted the attention of the Vedic sages, and thus they began to sing what was revealed through that revelation. And the coming of the light of dawn, after the darkness of night, gave them hope. And thus they referred to ‘Usha’, the dawn, when looking to recognize their own spiritual light. They knew that a subtler light of consciousness lay hidden in the shadows of perception. For those attending to the outer world, there were layers of light waiting to be discovered deep within the human soul. It is called ‘Jyoti’. We have just sung of that – tamaso mā jyotirgamaya. So Jyoti, the light of wisdom and truth, becomes manifest in the ideals of the spiritual life, and this became the ambition of those Vedic sages. The Vedic rishi realized the source of light, and the process of awakening, and the purification of the darkness of ignorance. In that state of awakening, the voice of God spoke to the ancient sage and enjoined him to guard the oath of light through non-harming, kindness and compassion. And they received mantras, as the oath of light. They received the revealed word to guard the path of light which wisdom had opened.

As an introduction to our pilgrimage and meditation, let me share a verse from Swami Veda’s narrative, “When I Left the Sun” that will also introduce our Sangha Mantra and the Vasudeva principle.

O fellow beams of light, have we journeyed so far, forgetting our birth as the light beams of that magnificent light, the sun. As sun rays we have been one with the light of the sun. As the sun rays, each of us, the sun rays, we have been one with the light of the sun. We, whose nature, in that illumination, in that nature is light and remains light. Whose nature is bliss, and always remains blissful, whose nature is sweet, sugandhim, and ever remains sweet. For your eternal nature is in that Lord, and that Lord dwells within you, Vasudeva. Your eternal nature is the Lord, and that Lord dwells within – Vasudeva.

On your pilgrimage along the spiritual path, you begin to recognize the depths of light you are pursuing. Such a person searches for the inner light when a calling arises, ‘know thy self’ in relation to the outer world, with its laws and with its causes and effects. And, one passes through many stages of transformation, thus eliminating the lower for the higher, the gross for the more subtle, merging the smaller into the greater, and uniting the small part of that personality into a wholeness, crossing the boundaries and loosening the ties of bondage until the outer world and inner world are realized as one. These infinite divine forces, these universal forces, are the forces within our personality. They are our experiences that express an inner craving, express that quest to know and to love and be loved. This is the quest of light, to be in light, with light, and experience the human fullness of that enlightenment as peace, happiness, and bliss. This inherent impulse, is felt in every human being, every living being, every sentient being. It is the impulse that becomes the breath. And in that impulse the thought of SoHam arises with each breath. Thus every human being can realize their true nature. The darkness of ignorance and confusion that surrounds, that veils, that diminishes the light of knowledge, remains the bondage to which we seek freedom.

Thus your true nature is light. Why would you claim knowledge in untruth, happiness in jealousy, friendship in harmful relationships, and freedom when living with fears? The darkness of untruth, the darkness of those angers and guilts and depressions hold on to the instinct of the fear of death. That abhinivesha is our primary attachment that maintains ignorance.

So aspire for truth that leads to immortality.

mṛtyormā amṛtaṃ gamaya

And from the shadow of darkness, that fear of death, lead me to the immortality.

oṃ asato mā sadgamaya
tamaso mā jyotirgamaya
mṛtyormā amṛtaṃ gamaya

Cross this ocean of darkness and you arrive at the shore of truth, goodness, and beauty. The very nature of the immortal one that you are.

Once again, dive within the very mindfield of your buddhi, your intelligence, not to use it superficially simply for judging or deciding, but for the power of that iccha shakti, the power of intention, the power of sankalpa, willpower. So as you resolve that “May the intention be in this life to awake and attain the purpose of life, to diminish the darkness of ignorance, to reveal the light of love.”

So as to now mentally recite Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudeva with full intention as purposeful life unfolds through these sacred words, through the sacred word, that illuminating and vibrating quality of the consciousness that is awakening and carrying you further and further on that pilgrimage. As a ray of light from the Center of Consciousness, you venture outward into the darkness to be lost, and then once again to be found and and thereby return to the light. That is what is called samsara. You, a being of light, venture out from that pure sun as a ray and become mingled and entangled in the darkness. And, you say, “I am darkness.” When the mantra is there to protect you, when the living lineage of the revealed word is there as your companion and guide, a moment will dawn when you understanding your life. With that awakening, you follow that light wave back to the source of light. You are the ray of consciousness returning to the Sun, the source of Consciousness. Let each meditation become this pilgrimage.

In this moment, relax, release, breathing out, letting go; and breathing-in rejuvenating, filling and fulfilling.
Smoothing out the breath rhythms and uniting the fractured mind into that one wave of the mantra thought. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya mantra, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, as the japa of the special Sangha mantra, that prayer for humanity, the peace and internal joy of the minds of humanity.

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudeva,

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, Om.

Editor’s Note:

Sangha Gathering: A Soul Nourishing Experience

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The March 2026 Sangha gathering was once again such a heart and soul nourishing experience. I met so many familiar spiritual friends and family from around the world and made some new beautiful connections. Being at the ashram with the sangha always feels like coming home. It is truly a home away from home  I feel loved, nourished, and cared for throughout my stay. The ambiance at the Ashram, with the spring season and so many gorgeous flowers in bloom with the Himalayan ranges in the background, adds to the magic.

The spiritual talks and panel discussions by our beloved senior teachers are going to add towards deepening my spiritual journey, along with the new Sangha Mantra shared by Swami Ritavan ji. The 24-hour unbroken recitation of the mantra and the Yagna felt divine and cleansing for the mind and spirit….

I am going back to my routine life with lots of heartwarming spiritual gifts to deepen my practice until next year, when I am back again to replenish my bowl…

With lots of love and gratitude to the lineage,

Sunita Bhardwaj Gangopadhyay

Editor’s Note:

Dr Sunita Bhardwaj Gangopadhyay is the President of The Meditation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A family wrapped under a warm “yellow” shawl called Love

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It’s not easy to resume what happens before (and after) the participation to a Sangha Gathering: months of preparations (for the ashram residents and also for people attending) and a very long mental, emotional and spiritual journey before reaching our spiritual family. But every time we gather together, all the fatigues disappear.

It seems like, every time, something special and magic happens: a stream of love made up of true connections that will last forever, a big family that, day by day, becomes stronger, grows and expands, a group that supports each other in deep processes, the strength and the power of the sangha.

Each Sangha Gathering is unique in its connotations and brings with it an infinite variety of colours and emotions: these are the wonderful colours of all the kalyana mitras coming from all over the world, a beautiful bouquet of flowers (like the beautiful flowers of the ashram) that fill with their light and energy the ashram. This year, the emotion was truly very intense for the entire Italian sangha, made up of many people experiencing it for the first time, as well as those returning to the ashram after many years.

We really felt at home: everything was very smooth and natural and it was a precious gift and a blessing. A warm, genuine and caring hospitality, a simple organization, love and care for the details were just few of the elements that made us feel “with special people, in a special place”.

Despite the intense 10 days programme (from early morning to late evening) and the large number of particpants, the atmosphere was very quiet and calm and we could enjoy the beauty of the ashram: birds singing, a stream of water flowing smoothly, the wind playing with trees and leaves, flowers blooming.

Practices and teachings were very deep and intense, with moments of sharings and inspirations from Swami Ji and many senior teachers, as well as the reverberations of the new Sangha mantra filled our minds and hearts with true and sincere love and compassion creating a profound and deep dimension of silence in each one of us.

Once again, the transmission of the Himalayan Tradition has manifested itself in all its incredible beauty and depth, transcending time and space: no words were needed, no teachings were needed.  We simply needed to “be connected and in harmony” and let the doors within us, in some way, open naturally, allowing the Guru’s energy to flow and reach that intimate, inner place—that deep feeling that unites us in a single dimension of expansion and connection: a family wrapped under a warm “yellow” shawl called Love.

With love and  gratitude,

Ilaria

Following are some reflections from few participants:

“Each time I visit the Ashram, it feels like coming home.
I love the quiet atmosphere when few people are there, but I enjoy also when it’s very crowded, as it was during AHYMSIN Sangha Gathering 2026, during which you can truly experience the beauty of being part of a large family coming across different countries around the world.
During the last Sangha Gathering, I especially enjoyed the flowers and the ceremonies, which I hold dear as I return to my daily life. For all of this, I am deeply grateful and I thank you”. Chiara

“Back from India after two weeks at the ashram, I feel enriched and peaceful, nourished by colors and warmth, by sounds and vibrations, by the chanting of mantras, by glances and silences, nourished by inspiring meetings ….
I would like to thank everyone who worked quietly behind the scenes allowing these magic experiences to happen in such a special and unique place”. Ruth

“This year, after a long time, I returned to the ashram with my mother and my four-year-old son. It was a very different experience for me. In the past, coming here meant being able to practice, practice, and practice. It happened again this time, but in a different way. I deeply appreciated the sense of family, the slow passage of time, the “doing nothing”: watching my son play with the other children, the flowers, plants, and animals, breathing, sleeping, and doing the same things I do at home, but with a different state of mind. I particularly felt the connection between the participants and between them and the Tradition, as if we were all blessed by the wonderful gift of a protective shawl that wrapped us. It was a special moment, and even more special to be able to share it with my son. I asked him if it seemed strange to him, a different way of life, but he didn’t even understand the question. For him, everything flowed with joy and simplicity. He was fascinated by the monkeys and animals in general”. Elisa

“Receiving the new Sangha mantra during the Sangha Gathering was really special for me: the fire offering with the mantra recitation and the opportunity to actively take part in the ritual, and the mantra explanation through the beautiful story read by Rabindra, which moved me deeply”. Lamberto

Editor’s Note:

Ilaria Sarri is one of the center leaders of Himalayan Yoga Institute Italia – Centro Per La Salute Globale in Firenze (Florence), Italy. She is a long term initiate in the Tradition, and a TTP teacher and mentor since several years.

AHYMSIN Executive Committee for 2026-29

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On March 4, 2026, an election of the AHYMSIN Executive Committee and Office Bearers was held at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG). The elected/appointed members of the full Executive Committee and Office Bearers for 2026 – 2029 are:

Spiritual Guide: Swami Ritavan Bharati
President: Tan Sri Datuk Dr Mohan Swami
Senior Vice President: Namita Sinha
Vice Presidents: Michael Kissener and John Sellinger
General Secretary: Sadhana Mishra
Assistant Secretaries: Tinyu Chen and Dr Swati Saharan
Treasurer: Narendra Pushkarna
Assistant Treasurer – Manish Vig

Executive Committee Members:

Ashutosh Sharma (Teaching)
Pierre Lefebvre (HYT-TTP)
Adhikari Bhoi (SRSG)
Rabindra Sahu (SRSG)
Deepak Semwal (SRSG)
Wong Yoong Khiang (Adhyatma Samiti)
Anoop Kanodia (Himalayan Institute of Kanpur)
Dr Vijay Dhasmana (DMT)

In addition, Swami Ritavan Bharati, the Spiritual Guide, has appointed four Senior Advisors to the Executive Committee. They are:

Special Advisor to Spiritual Guide – Foo Tuat Yein
Senior Advisor to AHYMSIN – Dr Stephen Stoma Parker
Legal Advisor to Spiritual Guide – Shreedhar Kamat
President Emeritus – Shi Hung

Meaning of Vasudeva Mantra

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Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

Gently bring your mind’s awareness to the seat where you are seated, as if on the lap of Mother Earth—safe, absolutely relaxed, and peaceful. Let the Mother hold you without you trying to hold yourself.

An act of surrender to Mother Earth, thereby letting that relaxation reach your breath and pierce through the veil of the mind.

Let your mind be absolutely still and relaxed as there is nothing to do, nothing to prove, nothing to achieve, nowhere to go.

Simply still and relaxed, nothing to concentrate, just pure awareness of your being as if your mind is newly born at this moment.

From this profound stillness, the primordial vibration arises: Om…

Before we explore this year’s Sangha Mantra—Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya—let us reflect upon few principles.

What is the meaning of love? We can give it any meaning because there is no single meaning. Any meaning we give, would be a limitation. It is just what each of us feels. Any meaning we give is a limitation imposed by the mind. But the mind needs a meaning. So I will try to share my understanding and the teachings that I have received. There are two aspects to understanding this mantra: the literal meaning, and the far more difficult aspect—the meaning within the context of devotion. The masters have their own ways to bring out our vulnerabilities. Today I feel that difficulty, because it is very hard to speak on bhakti, love, and surrender.

I am not sitting here as a teacher, nor are you students. We are brothers, sisters, mothers together, trying to understand what this mantra could mean for each of us.

My humble request to you would be that each one of us decide what this mantra means for us—not what I say, not what has been written. Define the meaning for yourself, the way you feel it. God is like a mother. A small child cannot speak, yet the mother understands. It is a communication of hearts, not minds. It is not intellectualisation. It is a feeling deep inside the heart that cannot be expressed. yet we keep trying to find words to express. No matter how much we try to find it, it will still be limited. Because the limited cannot express the unlimited, the finite cannot express the infinite.

“I” The limited cannot express the unlimited, but will try, so the mind can comprehend at a basic level: “I am doing this mantra. This is what it means.” And as we move on with our practice, the meaning manifests itself within your lives.

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय।

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

ॐ Om

We can study the Mandukya Upanishad (refer to Swami Rama’s commentary – Enlightenment without God) to understand the meaning of Om.

As you know, OM is Composed of:

  • A (अ): Represents the waking state (jagrat), the physical world, and Brahma (the creator).
  • U (उ): Represents the dream state (svapna), the mental world, and Vishnu (the preserver).
  • M (म): Represents deep sleep (sushupti), the formless unconscious, and Shiva (the destroyer).
  • The Silence After: Represents Turiya, the pure consciousness that transcends and pervades all three states.

Om is the Primodial sound of the Universe. Om is the sound-vibration of the Absolute Reality. It is the sound of our being. It is the symbol of Brahman, the ultimate, unchanging reality.

नमो Namo

Namo is surrender—‘Not me’

But sometimes this “not me” becomes a subtle ego. “I didn’t do it. The Guru did it.” While saying “not me,” we still have “some me.” If it truly happens, we will not advertise it. We would rather say, “me” than “not me.” So, it is very subtle. We can go on saying “Not me” while that feeds to our “Special Me”.

When we say, “it’s not me,” do we really mean it, and does the other person feel that it is actually the truth? So, this special, subtle, spiritual ego needs to be surrendered. Even this trace of ‘not me’ needs to be surrendered. That’s the final step. If I have really surrendered, then who is “not me”?

Sometimes, people ask ‘Are you a disciple of Swami Rama or Swami Veda?’ Even though it is an invalid question, I say I am not a disciple yet. I’m trying. My preference is of servanthood to the master. A disciple is the one who has no will of his or her. It’s the Guru’s will. Do I have 100% surrender to my master? Not yet. So, I don’t call myself a disciple. Whether I am a disciple or not, the master will decide. Just writing or publicising that I am a disciple would not make me a disciple, more likely that will strengthen the “special spiritual ego” and competition.

So, namo is that full surrender.

And surrender is not new. We do surrender in our everyday lives. When we go for a haircut, we surrender to the barber. We trust he will not cut our neck. When we sit in an airplane, we surrender to the pilot. When we go to a doctor, we have surrendered. We trust that whatever medicine the doctor gives will help us. We don’t ask questions like “Doctor, you gave me this pill. What does this mean? What is the composition?” You don’t ask. You trust. So, if in the material world, we have the capacity to trust and surrender. We just need to take it to a little deeper level, to have the capacity to surrender to the intangible and invisible.

Namo in the practical context could be an act of non-holding, non-clinging. You say to the Lord, enough of ‘I, me and mine, you please take over’. That is a call as well as a longing of a disciple who pleads to the master, ‘please take over’. A devotee would say, ‘hari-iccha’—it’s the will of the Lord. I don’t have my will. Try to live life like that for one week and we will see whether we are disciples or devotees or not.

So, namo is that act of surrender with reverence.

भगवते Bhagavate

Bhagavate means “to” or “for” of the word “Bhagavan”. So, Bhagavate means “to the Bhagavan,” “to the Lord,” “to the possessor of all divine virtues.”

The term ‘Bhagavan’ (God) is specifically defined in the Vishnu Purana (6.5.74) through its etymology:

Bhaga means six divine virtues, qualities, attributes:

  1. Aishvarya: Absolute Lordship/Sovereignty
  2. Virya: Absolute Power
  3. Yasha: Absolute Fame/Glory
  4. Shri: Absolute Wealth
  5. Jnana: Absolute Knowledge/wisdom
  6. Vairagya: Absolute Renunciation

“Van” means “one who possesses.”

Thus, Bhagavan is the one who possesses these six divine virtues, divine qualities in full, simultaneously, and eternally.

As an example, what is it that we want in our life? What is it that we want from our life? What is it that we are seeking? Happiness. How much happiness are we seeking? We want unlimited, infinite happiness. Agreed? We don’t want limited happiness. Right now, if you are getting this much happiness in the class, and if there is an opportunity, and you have a choice to go somewhere where you will get more happiness, your mind will pull you towards that. We are looking for unlimited, infinite happiness. Where? Where are we looking? Everywhere.

Do we say, “I will only be happy when I am in Ashram? It’s okay even if I am not happy when I am at home.” We want to be happy at all times and everywhere.

Now, we are seeking it where? In all the finite things. If I am seeking unlimited, infinite happiness in finite and limited things and beings, can I ever get there? I can’t.

Therefore, we need Bhagavan who is unlimited and infinite. Only that can give us unlimited, infinite bliss.

The First attribute is Aishwarya—Absolute Lordship. We have limited lordships over small insects, small trees. Let us take an ant as an example. We have lordship over an ant. We can kill the ant. If the ant is drowning in water, we can save its life. But if the ant crawls into our ear, where is our lordship? It’s gone. So, our lordship is limited. It’s not unlimited. The ant in water is at our mercy, but at the same time, if the same ant crawls into my ear, I’m at the mercy of the doctor. So, our aishwarya, the lordship is limited.

God is the one who has absolute and infinite lordship over everything.

Second attribute is Virya—Absolute Power. Our power is limited. No matter who that person is, that person’s power is limited.

Bhagavan is the one whose power is limitless, infinite. It means the capacity to create, to sustain and to dissolve the whole universe. The one who has this absolute power of creation, sustenance and dissolution is called bhaga.

Third, Yasha—Fame, Glory. Our fame is limited and dependent upon external circumstances. But limitless fame and glory is bhaga.

Fourth, Shri—Absolute Wealth. All that we are enjoying, calling it ours. Is it really ours? Did I create the Earth? No. Did I create waters? No. Did I create fire, space, air? Did I create diamonds? No. That wealth belongs to whom? To the Lord. It’s all has been given. Even if I try to call myself, ‘I’m wealthy’, my wealth is limited. Even the wealthiest person’s wealth is limited. And when we leave our body, what happens? All the money in the bank account, all the big mansions, they stay here. Because it never belonged to me. I worked hard for it but still it doesn’t belong to me. Whatever we have is not ours because it is given.

So, our wealth is limited; unlimited wealth is bhaga.

Fifth, jñāna —Absolute Wisdom. Our knowledge is limited; we know only few things. There is always somebody who knows a little better, a little more than us. There are many things we do not know.

Bhagavan is the one whose knowledge is limitless and never inhibited by “I do not know”. Infinite, limitless knowledge is bhaga.

Sixth, Vairagya—Dispassion, renunciation, absolute renunciation. We have dispassion towards things we don’t like and we also are dispassionate towards dispassion. I renounced what? Renunciation itself. I renounced renunciation. I am dispassionate about dispassion! We cling. Raga is longing and viraga is freedom from longing. Vairagya means the one who is free from longing. Limitless vairagya is bhaga.

Even having all these attributes, still the Lord is absolutely not attached to any of this. This is non-clinging.

And any of these attributes that we have in limited degrees, we cling to it. We have a little wealth, we cling. We have a little fame, we cling. We have a little power, we cling on to it and get attached.

God is absolutely detached. He has created everything, yet he stays away from it. Whether you call he, she, doesn’t matter. God is beyond genders anyways.

So, I have created something in my life. Can I remain detached from that creation? It could be anything. I have received something in my life. Can I remain detached from that internally? You can still be engaged. God is engaged with all this, yet absolutely fully withdrawn.

One who has all six attributes is known as Bhagavan—God and then,

Bhagavate is ‘unto that Lord’ [who has all these six attributes].

So may I follow that which is infinite. May I seek that which is infinite. And if I am holding on to anything that is finite, if not today, tomorrow, I will have issues because those things are bound to undergo change. Things are constantly changing, things are constantly shifting and we are trying to hold on to that which is constantly moving. Naturally we will be stressed.

So, what this prayer, this mantra can give us is that “let me hold on to that which is the truth or which is infinite. Only the infinite can give me infinite and unlimited happiness.”

I am holding on to things which are limited, and I am expecting unlimited happiness from limited things and beings. I, as a spouse, expecting unlimited happiness from my partner who is another limited being. Is it possible? It’s not possible because we are both limited and finite beings.

Let us take an example. If I am sitting or standing here, somebody comes and pulls me. I can be easily pulled because I have limited strength. But if I hold on to a concrete pillar, and the same person tries to pull me, can I be easily pulled? No, because I have the strength and support of something which is steady, it is not infinite but stronger. So I am holding on to something or somebody who is more stronger, thereby I am not getting pulled. In the same way, I am holding on to the Lord within me, thereby I am not going to get pulled by the world. Otherwise, anybody says something, somebody does something, I get easily pulled and then I’m stressed and then I sit for meditation. It’s not going to work.

The outside is constantly pulling us. You all agree? That’s exactly what we experience in meditation. We sit; the outside is constantly pulling us. So, what to do? Let me hold on to something; let me hold unto my mantra. There will still be a pull but I may be a little less affected by it.

So bhagavate is infinite potential and strength for us to hold onto.

वासुदेवाय Vasudevaya

Vasudevaya means ‘unto Vasudeva’.

Vasudeva has two meanings,

One is Son of Vasudeva: This refers to Lord Krishna’s appearance as the son of King Vasudeva and Queen Devaki.

Second which is much more universal, all-pervading Lord, the indweller—who is everywhere. Everywhere means within us as well as outside us. He who dwells in all things and in whom all things dwell.

Consider space: everything is in space, and space is in everything. Inside every solid object, atoms and molecules have space. Space is unaffected by anything it supports—it isn’t attached, doesn’t retain or reject. It’s completely neutral, supports all, yet has no “me.” It is everywhere, with no beginning or end. Adding or destroying galaxies doesn’t change its weight. In the same way Vasudeva is the all-pervading force field in whom all things dwell and He dwells in all things. It is because of my limited vision that I am not able to feel or experience it.

If you have an affinity to a form of the Divine, then you can use the first meaning, where Lord Krishna is known as Vasudeva.

We are attached to many forms in the world. Can we say we are absolutely detached to all forms? No. Sometimes we need another form to worship, to surrender to so that that form takes away our attachments and identifications with all other worldly forms. That is when you need a master, a guide, a Guru and God, if you have a feeling or connection with one.

Vasudevaya—unto Lord Krishna, the son of Vasudeva.

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya is “Om, I bow to the Lord who dwells within all hearts, the possessor of all divine qualities.”

There is a text called Srimad Bhagavatam by Sage Veda Vyasa which is considered as an explanation of the mantra – Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. This text comprises of only 18,000 verses. Sage Veda Vyasa took 18,000 verses just to explain this one mantra! It’s impossible to explain this mantra in one session. We need to feel and contemplate for ourselves: how does this mantra work in each of our lives? Where do I need to surrender? Let me start—even a little—let me initiate the process, and slowly, the meaning will reveal itself without struggling.

When spirituality becomes a struggle or a burden, we’ve likely taken the wrong path. This isn’t about adding another belief or mantra to carry. It’s about alignment—helping us remember the highest, so we stay aligned. Yes, the world pulls at me but let me hold on to that pillar of light [that is the mantra]. You may call it God or bhagavan; just hold on…and surrender.

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय  Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

ॐ शांति शांति शांति Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Editor’s Note:

This article is an excerpt from the transcript of a talk by Rabindra Sahu during the AHYMSIN Sangha Gathering 2026 conducted at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama from 1-10 March 2026.

Introduction to the Vasudeva Principle

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Om. Come to the awareness of your being. No conditions, forms, no past, no future.

You, the pure being, sitting now in that presence where body remains – head, neck, and trunk straight – breath flows. A gentle breath, deepening, smooth out that flow, where mind and breath now flow as a single stream of awareness. That stream thereby merging, that stream thereby submerging, finding that depth that is beyond the waves, experiencing those currents that are beyond the feelings, where at the riverbed, all that is flowing becomes still.

Enter that stillness.

And gently open your eyes, remaining in that presence.

We talk about presence, but what is presence other than this solitude, a stillness within the movement, a solitude that has brought the dualities and multiplicities into some essence of a wholeness, a wholeness that is the reflective joy of your true nature. In the anandamaya kosha, that sheath of your personality that is really so near and dear, the sheath of your being, by way of a personality that carries a joy, that carries a sense of that joy that is not conditioned by the waves. So, I am so happy to be no longer surfing. The waves are there, no doubt, but you are starting to dive and you are going deeper and you are finding nothing. That’s the best way.

But you are finding your answers. Because you have come here with a question and most of you, with many questions because life is life. Every day the questions of what to do, how to do, when to do, who to do it with, you are now diving into a depth of, yes, that is life. But there’s something to me that has this solitude, this beautiful sweetness of life that is beyond these waves, where it has a depth, and it’s beyond even these currents that you feel of a sense of depth by way of feelings. Because the feelings shape the thoughts and the thoughts shape the actions. So, you’re going back from the actions and the reactions, no doubt, to the thoughts that have preceded, to the feelings that have nurtured those thoughts by way of now a deeper aspect of the feelings in your habit patterns, your samskaras, that which you’ve already put in yourself as an experience. The pleasures of life are many, but also are the pains. So, we are taking them both as a reality. Yet in solitude, those realities merge each night, each morning, to taste the solace.

Anyone taste it yet? Such a beautiful merging of all these personalities, all the flavors and colors, the shapes of personalities as that silence, that no doubt has its own range of experience by way of, yes, your samskaras. So, you are just tasting those samskaras when you are trying to meditate.

But not to worry, you have planted those seeds, you have started growing those flowers, but when you thought you had an apple seed, you have an orange. So, you have to be careful what you are planting and nurture that as your spiritual way of living.

Swami Rama talked about identifying the fears of your life. Those are the things that are binding you, holding you. Meditation unbinds and releases the holds of those habit patterns. So, in that sense, ‘Freedom from Fears’ is the first message. And the second message from the Himalayan sages is, ‘Be Aware of the Reality Within’. Now this has become our theme for the Sangha, the Vasudeva principle, and we are approaching it in various ways so that you find the doorway that you can enter.

Taking a moment to once again dive deep.

Simply no movement, no change within the context of the present moment. That is your doorway. That which takes you through that doorway is the breath, breath awareness.

And at the threshold of that doorway, you realize the tensions now in your shoulders and in your lower back or in your legs by way of body conditions. Breathe through those areas where the stress and strain is felt. An exhalation through that area releases, unties the knot. An inhalation through that area rejuvenates and revitalizes.

So, at the very threshold of that door, full body awareness, full body breathing, to which the breath has opened the door, has taken you through that state of concentration called body relaxation. And within that space, the body occupies, full of prana and vitality and life force, to which there’s a gratitude, svaha, to which there is an understanding of letting go, letting go, letting go, namaha.

Now you’re ready to receive the word, the mantra as a word, the thought that comes from that flow, that flow that in the depths as pure illumination carries the message of your soul. Carries the Atman as atma tattva avalokanam, I am that Atman.

And in this samadhi state you maintain. Now open your eyes.

Samadhi is not just a word in a text called Yoga-sutras. It is you, your natural state of mind, your most natural state that is ever present of your mind as the samadhi state, the harmonized unified state of consciousness. So let go of your efforts and identity as the doer. Rest your awareness in being. And, now in this transition of Being to Becoming, develop the tools to be skillful in this becoming. First, recognize this tool of entering the waveless flow. And in that submerging you enter the oneness that is always present. And you recognize the true nature of that ananda, that beauty, joy, and love. But we forget, and we forget often, and we become upset that we are forgetting. And we become depressed because we are upset. So, there is a chain by way of the samskaras of these habit patterns of mind. So, what to do?

You came from many places, so your view of the world was vast. So why not start with your spiritual understanding with this vastness? Everything is God. So, you are understanding that this expansive understanding of the spiritual nature of being is vast. It is said in the scriptures,

ब्रह्म वेद ब्रह्मैव भवति

brahma veda brahmaiva bhavati

– Mundaka Upanishad, 3.2.9

One who knows the expansiveness of this self, the Brahma, becomes that Self.

So, yes, you identify, but you are simply picking and choosing, and that becomes the associations, that becomes a relationship that shapes your identity. But if you are holding the view that all this is the Lord, all this is the manifestation of the Lord, and I too am that manifestation. When you truly start to understand and believe that you too are that manifestation, then that inward looking, antar-mukha, that now is the doorway for your spiritual life. For life, let’s say, because it is the spiritual nature. In that spiritual nature, as I said, the most intimate, subtlest personality of yourself is the Ananda. And Ananda is pure love. So, remember that love is first. The beloved is found later. We are searching because we are bahir-mukha, looking outward. I am saying be antar-mukha; look inward. So, you realize that love, and I am love, and I am the source of love. And others love me and I love them as that expansion, by way of the Ananda, nature of your being. You may seek joy, which is also the synonym of love. Love, joy, and silence are the synonyms of God. So, seek this basic meaning of any one of those, and the rest will be found.

We understand that love is not just a feeling. It is a force, palatable force. Joy is not a temporary sentiment. For, as a force, it wells up and fills you from within. Now it’s the internal stimuli that seek external alambanas—objects, supports. It is the internal stimuli that is seeking something to be expressed to as an object, the alambana, the support, or a prop, or something to hang on to, or something to reflect back that love.

Many attachments arise from an inner stimuli that is called love. But we have mistaken love for the attachments. When we realize that such pleasures are temporary, that they are subject to change, then we seek a different way to find that which is unchangeable, that which is a continuum. Yes, we want love and seek joy that is unconditioned. But we are searching outwardly. We must search inwardly through silence, introspection, and prayer, contemplation, and meditation. These are powerful tools for spiritual life.

And in that way, you will discover that intensifying the prana force within yourself will be that which then continues to lead you inwardly to that source of love and joy. So again, that’s full circle. The inner stimuli has reached outward, however, trace it back to the intensified prana force. Return to the source of the stimuli, in the prana and mental forces. A force called ‘yearning’ that has come from that pure source of love, and joy. This is the process called bhakti.

You will hear this word bhakti and devotion as we focus on our inner path by way of the Vasudeva principle. The way in which the divine forces become identified through the path of bhakti. On this path, you will find beautiful ways connect and merge into the subtle relationship of God and the Lover-of-God. Through bhakti, devotion, it is said that love is God and that a name for God is called Prema, which means love. Also, joy is God. And so, the word ‘anandam brahma’ is the joyful God.

In the Vasudeva principle, we come to understand that the outward projections are simply calling you to come inward to ‘you’, the ‘lover’. And you find how easy that is, in this very moment. That moment is the doorway. That urge opens the door into the breath flow. That exhaled breath flow is the release, the unattached state of letting go. The letting go opens the horizons of an unconditioned mind, a joyful mind, and loving heart in the moment, this moment, this moment. And the inhalation as the filling and fulfilling gift of awareness. These twin principles are the actual first verse of the Isha Upanishad –

ईशावास्यमिदं सर्वं

īśā vāsyamidaṁ sarvaṁ

– Isha Upanishad, v. 1

Remembering at all times that the Lord of life is sarvam, everywhere.

In this inclination of outward looking, bahir-mukha, you begin to recognize the inward looking mind, antar-mukha, by way of the same inclination. When you remember that all things have been given to you as gifts, and what God has given, it is always perfect. That’s why there is that beautiful verse, “All this is perfect.” Yet that which is actually taken as perfect from the perfect remains perfect in its fullness and in its parts as perfect. These gifts are life’s flavors, colors, and sensations. All such stimuli are calling out, ‘please recognize me, realize me’, I am the Lord, I am the inward pulling God that wants you to recognize me, hold me, cherish me, love me, because I am you and you are I. Thus life become beautified in the God-given gifts of beauty, goodness and truth. Thus, remembering God in each moment and enjoying each situation, letting your mantra, your remembrance, carry that state of union into each moment.

Now seeking the happiness of others is another stage, another step. Otherwise, it turns to selfishness. “Oh, I am just self-aware.” But the self-aware becomes, “I only will accept what I want, what I do. All this “me and mine and I’s” are desires of a selfish nature for it is conditioned by the ego. Practice allows the transformation of ego through sharing, giving, and that you are the instrument of divine will. To understand the other and the self to be one in the continuum that is God, that is pure Joy.  “If we can share happiness with others, we can transform the modern world and take civilization to its next level” in the words of Swami Rama. He inspired us to seek the happiness of others, thus transform the modern world and take civilization to the next level.

With such inspiration we take up an expanded awareness to practice. Yes, practice, practice, practice. Practice is the self-transforming prescription. If you prepare yourself to know the higher knowledge, and if you prepare yourself to receive the gift of higher knowledge, then you are deserving. Then you are deserving, not that you will get it. But you will be open-handed, open-hearted, open-minded to receive. And When? When you are deserving, that is the perfect time, and you will receive.

What does deserving mean? To deserve means to increase your capacity. So, if you practice to create this understanding of deserving, then that too is giving you the understanding I am practicing to increase my capacity. So, you start with sincere efforts. You start to practice. You will find that guidance on the path. There is always guidance, like a light, illuminating the path for the next step. Put your foot there, then leave that step for the next, the next step that guides you from within. The light of consciousness is within you and will guide you.

Swami Rama would remind to us not to be disappointed with our failures, for it causes weakness. He would say, ‘it’s like a rubber ball that gets depressed and has no bounce to it.’ The rubber ball, he used that analogy. You are a rubber ball, you must bounce again, respond with inner confidence and faith.

As life provides these lessons, you develop the capacity to deserve. To accept is to be humble enough to be deserving, and the light will show the way. If you ignore the inner light and simply look to the external, you will not understand the messages that are coming from that subtle [inner] source. And even if you find that satisfaction in a teacher, you’ll be projecting your wants, your desires on that teacher, and not listening to the message that is coming through that teacher. Not in their external appearance, but in their teaching. They are only the instrument for you to recognize, “is this truth? Does it resonate with eternal truth.”

So be aware that we are learning and loving to enjoy life. Life as the unifying principle of our life. And in that way, searching for a unity that is beneath the diversity, a harmony that resonates the Oneness. Our Vedas and the Upanishads keep reminding us of the one unifying principle, whether it is called the One God or Brahman, Atman, and that realization is always present. Through our mistaken identity we, have forgotten and thereby suffer, for you have forgotten the truth. Yet the moment that you become aware of the truth, you are free. This awareness alone gives you freedom. And this alone will guide you to realization by way of awareness and by way of your constant practice.

[Swamiji stops speaking and is silent for one minute]

Was that an effort? That one minute of silence? Was that a practice? Practice is not limited to methods. Practice is that taste, the taste of the eternal, or the taste of love and joy. You are that love. You are that source of joy. You are that eternal One.

Editor’s Note:

 

Reflection on the 2026 Sangha Gathering at the Ashram

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AHYMSIN-Korea-Group

From the moment I booked my flight last September, my heart had already taken up residence in the Indian Ashram. My daily life became a series of moments spent noticing things to bring to India. At one shop, a pair of vibrant orange socks caught my eye. Drawn by the color, I bought two pairs for Swamiji and tucked them into my suitcase first. I thought of the unwavering dedication of the Ashram family, who had been working tirelessly for a year to prepare for this gathering. Although this year’s gathering took place in March, allowing fewer members of our AHYMSIN Korea family to attend than in previous years, traveling alongside familiar members still brought a quiet sense of reassurance as I set off for India.

AHYMSIN-Korea

The journey was smoother than usual, as the flight time was about an hour shorter. Every time I visit the Ashram, I feel as though the entire process—from landing to taking a taxi toward the gates—is guided by the hand of the Divine. Around midnight, feeling as if I were walking on clouds, I arrived at the Ashram. The air was, as always, stable and serene. A profound sense of relief washed over me: “We are home again.” While the cottage entrance doors had been replaced last year, this time I noticed the curtains in every room had changed to a pattern of orange and green hearts linked together. Seeing them, I could only imagine how much energy went into such a transformation. I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the environment provided by someone else’s labor.

AHYMSIN-Korea-Group

The Ashram programs, such as the early morning fire offerings (Agni Hotra), morning chantings, and Joints & Glands Exercises, proceeded with their timeless consistency. It was a joy to greet familiar faces. Perhaps because more brothers and sisters had gathered this year, the Ashram felt more vibrant than ever. Even among strangers, happy smiles were exchanged everywhere. The time spent engraving the new mantra into our hearts during Akhanda Japa, the fire offerings held by various national groups, and our shared devotion toward the pilgrimage sites reminded me why we must return to this Sangha gathering at least once every three years.

Receiving-the-Shawl

One evening, Swamiji introduced a passage from Swami Vedaji’s book, Kundalini: Stirred or Stilled, specifically Chapter 10, “When I Left the Sun,” using Swami Vedaji’s own recorded voice. That particular section was the one I struggled with most while translating the book, so the moment brought a fresh wave of profound emotion. Another unforgettable highlight was when Swamiji draped a shawl embroidered with the new sangha mantra around each person, one by one. As we all stood together in our yellow shawls for a group photo, I felt the fullness of the Tradition’s love and blessing.

AHYMSIN-Korea-At-Chandrabadni-Temple

Through the presentations by various organizations during this Sangha gathering, I realized that the goals pursued by the global AHYMSIN community are one and the same. These presentations clarified our future path as members of AHYMSIN. I will continue, as I have before, to share the teachings of the Tradition by translating Swamiji’s books, introducing Ashram programs, and conveying the importance of Mantra Initiation to yoga practitioners seeking meditation. Though it is work I have always done, this gathering served as an opportunity to re-examine the true purpose of yogic sadhana.
From the “invisible hands” that decorated the shoe rack in front of the meditation hall with different beautiful flowers every day, to the loving care of the brothers and sisters who wiped the trays clean before handing them out, and the kindness of the family serving food during the lunch Bhandara—it is to feel this delicate, selfless love that I find myself hurrying back to the Ashram every year. My hope is that even when the Sangha gathering is over, the rooms of the Ashram remain occupied year-round, and the meditation halls stay filled with practitioners, overflowing with the beauty of silence.

Meekyung-and-Pt-Ashutosh

Editor’s Note:

Meekyung was initiated into the Himalayan Yoga Meditation Tradition of Swami Rama in 2002 by Swami Veda Bharati. She is a Senior Teacher of AHYMSIN Korea and guides members to international retreats at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG) in India. She holds a Ph.D. in Yoga Studies and has taught yoga-related courses at Wonkwang University and Wonkwang Digital University. She has translated several works of Swami Veda Bharati, including Kundalini, Superconscious Meditation, and Signs of Spiritual Progress.

A Sangha Gathering: Journey into the Sweetness of the Divine

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AHYMSIN-Sangha-Gathering-At-SRSG

Our journey to India began long before our flight touched down at Delhi airport. The preparation to return to our spiritual home and to reunite with our global spiritual family in celebration of the wisdom, ever-flowing love, and blessings of our masters filled our hearts with joy and quiet anticipation for weeks.

This was not our first Sangha gathering, and yet we knew it would be unlike any we had experienced before. Each gathering is always new, always different, perhaps reflecting where we are in our lives, and in our sadhana and understanding.

As the great master Abhinavagupta expressed so beautifully:
“Vismaya yoga-bhūmikā”
“The path of yoga is full of wonder.”

And so, we prepared ourselves to become like empty vessels ready to receive, allowing every layer of our being to absorb the many forms of wonder that would unfold throughout the gathering.

AHYMSIN-Sangha-Gathering-At-SRSG

After arriving at Delhi airport, we set off by taxi toward Rishikesh. The journey was smooth and joyful, filled with laughter, shared stories, and a delicious meal along the way. It already hinted at what was to come during our stay at SRSG, where around 200 people from 33 countries gathered, flowing together like a quiet, nourishing river.

Entering the Ashram is an experience that touches every heart. It feels like stepping into a cocoon of silence and lightness. The vibrant colors of fragrant flowers, the gentle presence of birds, the cows and their playful calves, and the lush green gardens create a hidden oasis amidst the vibrant intensity of India.

The Ashram family worked tirelessly to prepare for our arrival. Every detail was infused with love, and they served the Sangha with wholehearted devotion. Even in moments of fatigue, they radiated a gentle, caring presence. They all are living expressions of seva – selfless service – flowing as naturally as breath and prana.

Swami Ritavan welcomed us with a warm smile and unconditional love. His presence carried the sweetness and fragrance of Bhagavan, the source of divine rasa, the essence of all that is sacred and alive. Simply being near him began preparing our hearts and minds for the Vasudeva mantra initiation that was to come.

The gathering itself unfolded as a beautifully orchestrated flow. The program was rich and diverse:

  • asana and pranayama sessions led by teachers from around the world,
  • introductions and sharing from the global AHYMSIN network (so many that we couldn’t hear every center’s story),
  • inspiring teachings from initiator teachers,
  • and stories from disciples who had the blessing of sitting with Swami Veda while he was still in the body.

It was a truly special time for all of us.

AHYMSIN-Sangha-Gathering-At-SRSG

We sat together for the Full Moon meditation with Swamiji, preceded by a magical evening around the bonfire with gentle guitar melodies. The following day brought a joyful explosion of colors and playfulness during the Holi celebration.

Throughout these days, Swamiji and the teachers continued to share inspiration, gently preparing us to receive the Vasudeva mantra in its fullness.

The culmination of the program was the yajna, marking the completion of our practice of the Akhandamandlakaram mantra, and the beginning of a new chapter with the Vasudeva mantra, following Swamiji’s initiation.

When the day of initiation arrived, Swamiji sat in silent meditation as we entered the meditation hall. To step into that space permeated by his presence was beyond words. Sitting there, held in what truly felt like a shawl of love woven by the Guru Parampara, supported by the depth of Swami Ritavan’s meditation… Even that single hour felt like enough inspiration to sustain a lifetime of dedicated sadhana.

We have carried so much home with us. Far more than words can capture.

AHYMSIN-Sangha-Gathering-At-SRSG

The deep bonds of kalyana mitras, noble friendships.
Practices that silenced our minds and opened our hearts.
Ever-deepening connections with fellow seekers across the global AHYMSIN family.
And countless blessed moments that we can only hope to share, so that many others may experience the sweetness and fragrance of Bhagavan Vasudeva.

May all the seeds planted during these weeks blossom in countless hearts and minds around the world.

With love and gratitude,
Dea

Editor’s Note:

Dea is a long term initiate within the Himalayan Tradition and is one of the center leaders of AHYMSIN Affiliated center in Hungary – Budapest Center of The Himalayan Yoga Tradition.